ISO Gopher fields in Central Ab

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by LKILR

Bothering farmers by driving into their yard during the day when they are working is disrespectful.Especially now when they are super busy planting crops.

Many landowners around here prefer contact via email or phone call.

Imagine you city folk if people came to your door uninvited just to ask if it’s ok to smell your flowers or pet your dog or play in your back yard.


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If I had a gopher problem and not much time to deal with it and someone stopped by asking to help me I’d certainly give them the time of day.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

If I had a gopher problem and not much time to deal with it and someone stopped by asking to help me I’d certainly give them the time of day.

What they pass of as poison these days, just fattens them.

Grizz

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by LKILR

Bothering farmers by driving into their yard during the day when they are working is disrespectful.Especially now when they are super busy planting crops.

Many landowners around here prefer contact via email or phone call.

Imagine you city folk if people came to your door uninvited just to ask if it’s ok to smell your flowers or pet your dog or play in your back yard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those two scenarios are not even remotely the same, gophers cause thousands of $$$ worth of damage to crops not to mention the hazard to cattle and horses breaking a leg in the holes, or the holes left by badgers trying to dig them up. I have yet to have any land owner get upset with me for stopping to talk to them, some say sorry there is already guys that shoot in there which is fine, the majority say fill your boots, leave all the gates the way you found them.
Of course if you roll into their yard with a jacked up 4 x 4 and 4 dudes dressing camo bail out I can see there may be a problem or no permission, presentation and first impressions and respect are important.

[Bigwoodsman]

Once you gain permission for gophers, don't assume that will carry over in the fall for birds, or deer or whatever. Respect the landowners.

Even when I hunted on land owned by relatives, I always stopped in to say hi let them know I was there etc. This carried over to all landowners over the years. It's the way I was taught growing up.

Always got permission for the spring gopher shoot to the fall goose and duck hunts, to the November deer or moose hunt. After each season, I always brought them a token of appreciation, most often it was a bottle of their favourite drink.

Stopping in often, I also learned what was going on around the farm, and times the guns never came out of the case. Helped fixing fence, moving cattle, driving grain truck etc. They all appreciated the extra help.

BW

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by LKILR

Bothering farmers by driving into their yard during the day when they are working is disrespectful.Especially now when they are super busy planting crops.

Many landowners around here prefer contact via email or phone call.

Imagine you city folk if people came to your door uninvited just to ask if it’s ok to smell your flowers or pet your dog or play in your back yard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone is different and maybe what is common in one are is not common in another

I don’t do a lot of private land hunting and mostly just for waterfowl unless someone else invites me on a hunt

My experience has actually been very different than what you are posting. I have heard it from a good portion of the landowner I have spoken to that they actually hate phone calls and won’t giver permission to anyone who is not willing to come ask in person. I have had almost all positive experiences knocking on doors even when permission was not granted.

I also have a good friend who hunts a lot of private land near porcupine hills for big game. Every landowner who has given him permission has been from knocking on doors. He has permission on a lot of properties from this combined with developing a good reputation over the years. The only time he gets permission from a phone call is because another landowner has set up an introduction

So at the minimum just around the corner from you there is landowners that are still ok with knocking on doors

Regardless if you knock on doors or call or email being respectful and present yourself properly is most important

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman

Once you gain permission for gophers, don't assume that will carry over in the fall for birds, or deer or whatever. Respect the landowners.

Even when I hunted on land owned by relatives, I always stopped in to say hi let them know I was there etc. This carried over to all landowners over the years. It's the way I was taught growing up.

Always got permission for the spring gopher shoot to the fall goose and duck hunts, to the November deer or moose hunt. After each season, I always brought them a token of appreciation, most often it was a bottle of their favourite drink.

Stopping in often, I also learned what was going on around the farm, and times the guns never came out of the case. Helped fixing fence, moving cattle, driving grain truck etc. They all appreciated the extra help.

BW

Yup permission for one hunt or one species doesn’t mean you have unlimited access to hunt

I have had landowners who may be ok for birds but are a hard no for deer. Some want you to basically book every morning or evening hunt well others are basically good to go whenever

Main thing respect the landowner and ask them their rules

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Yup permission for one hunt or one species doesn’t mean you have unlimited access to hunt

I have had landowners who may be ok for birds but are a hard no for deer. Some want you to basically book every morning or evening hunt well others are basically good to go whenever

Main thing respect the landowner and ask them their rules

Absolutely correct, I have a book in my truck and have all the land owners names and contact cell phone numbers along with any special instruction's that they want, some want me to stop by the yard and let them know I'm going out to the pasture, some just say go ahead I know your truck, some just say text me and let me know, etc. most places that I shoot gophers are in Saskatchewan so that rules out the big game hunts on their land for us Alberta Residents, the bottom line is use respect and be courteous, if the old boy wants to stand around for 1/2 hr and shoot the breeze so be it.

[270person]

Originally Posted by LKILR

Bothering farmers by driving into their yard during the day when they are working is disrespectful.Especially now when they are super busy planting crops.

Many landowners around here prefer contact via email or phone call.

Imagine you city folk if people came to your door uninvited just to ask if it’s ok to smell your flowers or pet your dog or play in your back yard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Chances are if guys are planting crops I'm not stopping by to ask permission for gopher whacking. Cattle guys with grazed down pastures are about 400x more productive hunting grounds. So spring crop work really has no bearing on the discussion. You're grasping.

I think if you want to control who drives up your driveway its a pretty simple fix called a gate.

Just happy the 34 quarters of pvt elk hunting I have in the northwest, 30+ sections of gopher mecca in the southeast and 6 sections of prime pvt whitetail land west of Edm are owned by more cordial folks than yourself. All obtained over time via face to face contact.

[pikergolf]

I cannot imagine giving permission over the phone or via email to people one has never met. If you know the person then yes it is reasonable, but otherwise.

I guess calling for a good meet and greet.

[Smokinyotes]

A few years ago a neighbor asked me if I could go shoot beavers on some land of his. I knew he had renters in the house about a half mile away so me being the super great guy that I am I figured I’d go tell the renters what I was doing. They came totally un glued on me and called me every name they could think of.
I went and shot a few beaver and the next day phoned the neighbor and told him what had happened. He said that was my mistake for going to see the renters cause “they weren’t all there”..

[Curly Bill]

Originally Posted by LKILR

Bothering farmers by driving into their yard during the day when they are working is disrespectful.Especially now when they are super busy planting crops.

Many landowners around here prefer contact via email or phone call.

Imagine you city folk if people came to your door uninvited just to ask if it’s ok to smell your flowers or pet your dog or play in your back yard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

100% disagree. This is exactly how I’ve gotten farmers numbers and maintained contact over the years.

“Hey really sorry to bother you!” Ask for permission if the convo goes good get a cell number. Done deal. Nothing disrespectful about it as long as you treat them like their time is valued.

[Faststeel]

Damn glad I live in Medicine Hat, tons of place to go shoot gophers, lucky me I go back to the same farm every year for the last 6 years.....FS